2023 will be remembered as a year that spawned a few notable celebrity memoirs. It started with the January release of Prince Harry’s unsparing Spare, in which he revealed that his brother physically assaulted him and that he visited a psychic to connect with the spirit of his late mother. Harry had a freedom that other celebrities do not, which is that it is unlikely that his family will sue him. In the age of the celebrity defamation lawsuit, though, memoirs are generally in an awkward position. If an author names names, they risks being sued for millions, with the court of public opinion eager to see proof of the lurid claims. Skim over details and they risk seeming coy, frustrating the reader with their lack of candor. So what’s a celeb to do?
The bombshell memoir by Britney Spears, The Woman In Me, doesn’t exactly pull punches. In fact, it describes abuse and control at the hands of her father, Jamie Spears, that is appalling. Spears’ father was an alcoholic who gained legal control over his daughter to the point that he had the ability to restrict her eating habits and reveal her sexual history to her potential suitors. Perhaps he was also the imprint that lead to her disastrous taste in men: first love Justin Timberlake insisted that she abort his child, and then responded to her physical pain over the procedure by pulling out a guitar and strumming a song for her. (He is reportedly furious over the memoir.)
The book is readable but not exceptional. It’s doubtful she wrote it herself, but the ghostwriter lacks the narrative skill that shaped recent standout memoirs like Demi Moore’s Inside Out. Ms. Spears has been treated appallingly by a misogynistic tabloid press, and the memoir is her attempt to hit back. It’s unfortunate it isn’t more biting, but given the early boffo sales, she may still have the last laugh.
A slightly better offering is Elliot Page’s Pageboy, an attempt to depict the showbiz trans experience. There are some great moments in this memoir, such as when the actor spends time on an organic farm or when he lives alone in the Nova Scotia woods, but unfortunately overall it doesn’t delve very deeply into his psyche. Instead it’s a polite tell-all in which few names are named. There is an intriguing scene, for instance, in which an A list actor verbally attacks Elliot after he comes out as gay. It’s horrifying, but the anonymity the author extends to him just underscores how the Hollywood power structure works. I enjoyed it, but it doesn’t rank in the memorable reads of the year.
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